Drive around Tallahassee and construction work isn't hard to spot. From downtown, the Gaines Street district, the northeast and the south side, cranes are in the air.

Permits for grand and small-scale commercial and residential projects are inundating the city's Growth Management Department, showing no immediate signs of receding.

So far this year, permits issued for new commercial development projects have already exceeded permits issued last year by 67 percent. Compared to the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, permit activity a year later has increased by about 50 percent.

There also has been an explosion in multi-family developments, which include townhomes, duplexes and apartment complexes. Activity for the first six months of the current fiscal year is 87 percent of the total number of units for all of the 2017 fiscal year.

New residential permits are rocketing just over 900 so far this year compared to nearly 500 issued the same time last year.

Economic indicators show Tallahassee has the fastest growing economy per capita in Florida, officials said. The local economy is expanding at a rate faster than twice that of the state and nearly three times that of the country.

"These numbers tell a very positive story about the state of the construction industry in the city and the positive impact it has had on economic development throughout our community," said Karen Jumonville, who heads the city's Growth Management Department. "We continue to receive a high volume of requests for preliminary meetings which suggests that there are many more projects in the pipeline and that these positive trends will continue into the foreseeable future."

Commercial development trends within the city limits.(Photo: City of Tallahassee)

Commercial development trends within the city limits.(Photo: City of Tallahassee)

Residential development trends within the city limits.(Photo: City of Tallahassee)

Development highlights within the city limits:

Commercial

54 percent — Represents increase in commercial development activity in the last two years compared to 2015.

7 percent — Represents increase so far this year (two quarters) compared to last year's total square footage in commercial projects.

67 percent — Represents increase permits for new construction so far this year compared to all of 2017.